Antonio Rudiger has denied that he bit Pogba, after the French midfielder claimed that the German defender had ‘scratched’ him during their clash at Euro 2020.
Pogba was at the center of almost everything good France did after they beat Germany in their first match at Euro 2020 on Tuesday night.
The Manchester United midfielder helped create the only goal of the match and also made two fantastic assists for goals that were denied by the VAR, completing a super-appearance and being named the best of the match.
The 28-year-old was also in the headlines when it appeared that Rudiger, while marking him up close, could have played the ‘role of Luis Suarez’ biting Pogba.
Pogba claimed after the match that he was ‘scratched’ during the incident, but the Chelsea center-back has now denied that he did anything wrong.
“I should not have approached with my mouth on his back, I have no doubt about that. It seems unfortunate”, the German initially said after the match.
“Paul and I talked about it as friends after the final whistle. And he stated in our small talk and speaking to the press that it was not a bite, as some viewers first thought.”
“Even during the match, the referee told me he would punish me if he thought it was violent behavior,” Rudiger concluded.
There are some similarities to what Pogba said about the incident, though the France player certainly seemed to suggest there was more.
After the match, the former Juve player, who has been linked with a return to Turin as part of the exchange with Cristiano Ronaldo, claimed he was still friends with Rudiger but said he would have been scratched.